Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Harry Litman settled in Braddock in 1910 and started the Brandywine Distributing Company, a master distributor for Duquesne Brewery. The family later left Braddock but stayed connected to its Jewish community and its local Congregation Ahavath Achim.
Harry and his wife Sarah Litman had five children, Archie, Lenny, Eugene, David, and Ruth. Archie Litman was a local boxing promoter. Lenny Litman operated nightclubs, including the Copa, during the 1940s and 1950s. He partnered with Jason Shapiro and Gabe Rubin in running the Penn Theater, now Heinz Hall. Eugene Litman went into real-estate and developed numerous properties throughout the eastern suburbs.
Together, the brothers owned the Pittsburgh Rens in the American Basketball League in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Eugene Litman joined a group of investors to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates and stayed with the organization after new ownership joined in the 1990s.
Bibliography
Rauh Jewish Archives
- Eugene Litman records [MFF 0273] (catalog record).
- Litman Family Papers and Photographs [2014.0207].
- Litman Family Photographs [2016.0122].
- Rebecca Litman and Michael Litman Oral History [2016.0085].
- Leonard Litman obituary file (catalog record).
- Charles Litman obituary file (catalog record).
- Eugene Litman obituary file (catalog record).
- Shribman, David and Angelika Kane. “Pittsburgh lives : men and women who shaped our city,” Chicago : Triumph Books, c2006. (catalog record).
University of Pittsburgh
- Lenny Litman oral history, Jan. 14, 1987, from NCJW-Pittsburgh Section Records [ais196440.282] (online).
Exhibit history
- Author: Eric Lidji
- Original: July 3, 2014
- Current: March 8, 2026